It’s been some time since we talked to Ah Ge Li Nanxing – the last we heard from him, he’s been busy shuttling between Singapore and China. However, we finally had the chance to catch up with him last week at the launch of Ah Mah Homemade Cake’s new flavour, multi grain sesame cake.

Looking as fit – if not fitter – as ever, the 53-year-old revealed that the reason behind his frequent travels is because he is currently in the midst of discussing projects with mainland companies iQiyi and Tencent, but could not reveal more details as they have yet to be set in stone.

Given his hectic schedule, we asked him how he’s been able to keep fit, to which he chuckled, “I only allow myself to be 70 percent full when I eat, and I’ll also go on a stroll after eating (…) I’ve become more conscious about my health, and these days I don’t eat rice anymore. You can eat all sorts of delicacies outside, but when you’re in my house, health comes first!”

The self-proclaimed foodie, who often posts photos of his culinary masterpieces on social media, also let on that he’d like to take on Christopher Lee in a cook-off, although Christopher has yet to accept this declaration of war.

“He keeps saying that he’s busy and doesn’t have time to teach me how to prepare braised duck,” Nanxing joked. “It might be because he’s worried about losing to me in the cooking department.”

Sharing that taking on a cooking show is something that he would consider, the actor let on that he’s currently in the midst of discussing a programme that introduces Nanyang cuisine. Nanxing added that if he takes on the project, he’ll have to devote time into learning more about the culture and history in order to go a good job.

(Continued on next slide: Nanxing teases his return to the C.L.I.F. series)

Nanxing teases his return to the C.L.I.F. series20 Sep 2018

Nanxing teases his return to the C.L.I.F. series

There’s a saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and Nanxing wholly agrees with this. “Regardless of where you go, there’s always something to talk about when you mention food. It’s easy to talk about this topic with anyone, and it’s not just men, but this is a very easy way to make friends. Good food is the best way to build relationships,” he grinned.

Moving on from the topic of food, we also mentioned to Nanxing that he’s been conspicuously lacking on local TV this year. His last Channel 8 drama was 2017’s My Teacher Is A Thug, alongside Bonnie Loo.

We asked him about his plans to return to acting, which he teased that he will likely be returning to film C.L.I.F next year although plans “are yet to be confirmed”. After acting in three seasons of the well-loved series, many are anticipating the return of the police drama.

After more than three decades in showbiz, we asked Nanxing if he will be considering a switch to taking on more behind-the-scenes work rather than acting – especially when age is catching up with him. To which, he would only chuckle, “I think I’m a workaholic – I’ll start itching to act if I don’t take on an acting project.”

Adding that he will continue acting as long as good scripts come knocking in his door, he smiled that the only time he’ll allow himself to not act is when “there are no longer any good scripts for me, or nobody who wants to cast me!”

As for retirement, that seems to be the last thing from this Ah Ge’s mind, as he declared, “Retirement? I’m still young, so there’s no need to even talk about this.”